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Car had fake diplomatic plates, says Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Facing its first big challenge from terrorism since taking office two months ago, the Pakistan government is said to be considering moving all embassies to the high-security Diplomatic Enclave in the capital after a blast outside the Danish Embassy that killed six people.

Two more blasts on Tuesday, one in the Kurram tribal agency in the north-west Frontier, and another in the Balochistan capital Quetta, claimed at least 10 lives. The blast in Kurram was reportedly caused by a landmine.

Under pressure to show that the government’s new policy of tackling terror through peace talks with militants is not at fault, the Interior ministry has said it will produce an investigation report on the blast outside the Danish embassy in 36 hours.

Interior Ministry Adviser Rehman Malik who visited the site late on Monday said “important clues” were already available.

Police said the blast was caused by a stolen car with fake diplomatic number plates with a Danish embassy number, an apparent explanation for how the vehicle got so close to the embassy without being challenged. Mr. Malik said there would be no change in the government’s policy on terror, and that the blast would not hinder the ongoing peace talks in the tribal areas. The government maintains that it is talking only to tribal elders and those who have renounced violence, and not to militants.

A team of investigators from the police, intelligence agencies and the Federal Investigation Agency is said to be working on the evidence collected from the site. Meanwhile, the Danish intelligence service PET has blamed Al-Qaeda or a group affiliated to it for the blast. The attack is being linked to the cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, first published in 2005 in a Danish newspaper. The cartoons were republished in February 2008 in several other Danish newspapers, and Al Qaeda had threatened Denmark for this.

The Danish embassy, which had only three expatriate staff working here after the rest were evacuated due to a high threat perception, has temporarily suspended its operations in Pakistan. Norway, whose embassy was in the same neighbourhood, also announced a temporary closure of its mission.

The Daily Times reported that the government decided in an emergency meeting following the blast on Monday to move all missions to Diplomatic Enclave, and until then to reinforce their security.

Interior Secretary Kamal Shah said that it would be easier to protect the missions if they were all located in one place. “The embassies should not be located in residential areas. Because of the security situation, it is in their own interests and that of our citizens that they should be located in diplomatic areas,” Mr. Shah said.

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